Changes to Regulation for the Reception of Displaced Persons Ukraine

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many refugees from Ukraine came to the Netherlands. The Dutch government set up a regulation for these people in 2022 in a very short time; namely, the 'Regeling opvang ontheemden Oekraïne' (RooO) (Regulations for the Reception of Displaced Persons Ukraine). This regulation regulates the reception and living allowance of refugees from Ukraine. As of 1 December 2022 and 1 February 2023, things are going to change in the RooO. In this news item you can read what will change.

The Dutch government, together with the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), has evaluated the regulation. Based on this evaluation, some things are going to change in the RooO to make it more similar to the existing regulations for asylum seekers, status holders and welfare recipients.

These changes come in two phases:

Changes per 1 December 2022; and
Changes per 1 February 2023.

Changes per 1 December 2022:

From 1 December 2022, the municipality may pay a financial allowance to people staying in care facilities for a long period of time. This financial allowance is for clothing and personal expenses. The amount of this allowance is €56.12 per month.
Volunteers volunteering at the reception site can receive a volunteer stipend of €14 per week from 1 December 2022.
Finally, refugees from Ukraine will be able to temporarily leave their reception centres from 1 December 2022. With the new regulation, refugees from Ukraine will be allowed to leave reception for up to 28 days, without affecting their financial allowance (such as the living allowance).

Changes per 1 February 2023:

From 1 February 2023, the municipality can stop the living allowance for an entire family if a family member over 18 earns money from work or receives social benefits. If a social benefit is found to be insufficient to live on, the municipality can also stop living allowance only partially.
If you stay in a private reception centre (host family), the allowance is reduced to €93 per person per month.
Lastly, the amount a family receives for food is recalculated according to the size of the family. The larger the family, the lower the monthly amount for food.

For more information on living allowance or changes to the RooO, you can contact the municipality in which you reside. The municipality decides in what form they pay living allowance. For more information on living allowance, please visit the living allowance page.